Game Plan for Youth Athlete Success

A Game Plan for Success in the Youth Athlete

Success is No Accident

The Youth Athlete is experiencing rates of injury at greater proportions. These injuries can be life threatening, such as head trauma that occurs in concussion. Injuries can involve ligaments, muscles and bones sustained as a result of sudden or repetitive trauma. The fact is that many of these injuries can be avoided with proper education and design of performance enhancing training programs. The goal of the Game Plan for Success program is the health and well-being of the young athlete in sports, and through adulthood.

Proprioceptive Training

There is a growing demand for the young athlete to play in sports year round, participating in school and club sports, often specializing in one sport before entering high school. The result is an athlete that has not developed athleticism, and is only exposed to consistent movement patterns and experiences. 

As a practicing physical therapist with over 25 years of experience training athletes of all ages and abilities, I have seen far too many young athletes suffer an injury that has sidelined there participation in sports for a season, and a career. There are two primary causes to this growing rate of youth injuries:

Overexposure to injury due to increased practice and competition.
I have had discussions with soccer athletes returning from college, and when asked if they are playing more soccer in college or high school/club, the answer is always high school/club. Too many contacts through out year round play in games and practice, combined with limited rest and recovery, a there will be an increased frequency of injury.

Lack of specific and individualized training progression.
Designing a sport-specific training program requires careful consideration of individual abilities, musculoskeletal development and the demands of the season. Many injuries are directly related to poor training program design. A sports performance training program must include core components:

• Reduce the risk and prevention of injury strategies
• Neuromuscular and Proprioceptive training 
• Health and well-being (Recovery, Nutrition, Mental Preparation) 
• Education of youth athlete, parents, and coaches. 
• Fitness and Health Testing

The training of a 12 year old will require a program that is different than that of a high school senior. Likewise, training a female athlete will demand a different approach to training than that of a male athlete. The female athlete is 7 times more likely to injure the Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL) than their male counterpart. These findings express the need for gender specific training programs.


Recommended book by +Warren Potash 

They're Not Boys - Safely Training the Adolescent Female Athlete

Game Plan for Success: Youth Athlete (follow this link)
By completing the above link you will begin to define Your Game Plan for Success. Randy Bauer, Physical Therapist will contact you with an personal email for a 20-minute session to outline Your First Steps to a Game Plan. If you have any comments or questions please enter in the comment session below.



Strategies that prevent re-injury also demand attention. Young athletes that are injured have a greater incidence of reoccurring injury. Return to play strategies must include fear avoidance strategies, progressive return to play opportunities and development of fitness levels consistent with competitive demands.

Included below are a series of excerpts that discuss the youth athlete game plan for injury prevention, sport-specific training, fitness and health. 



https://plus.google.com 06/03/2013 18:40

Youth athletes are being overexposed to practice and competition in sports, and the result is increased overuse and traumatic injury. Youth sports is important for the development of our children's well-being. The are some helpful tips that can be followed to take proactive approach to monitoring the youth athlete. There must be an Athlete Game Plan that ensures safety and well-being of the youth athlete.
#athletegameplan   #youthsports   #youthsoccer   #overuseinjury  
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Performance Nutrition for Energy, Recovery and Health

http://www.slideshare.net 2011-11-07

A Successful Athlete will have a Game Plan. A Vital Component to High Level Performance is Nutrition. Performance Nutrition Provides Energy for Training, Recovery and Maintains Mental Function, all Vital to Success on the Competitive Field.
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Speed Training and Dynamic Warm-up

GamePlan for Success:Speed Training Dynamic Warm Up
http://www.slideshare.net 2011-10-09 
Speed training requires proper warm-up to prepare for the workout session. Speed training is an intensive neuromuscular activity. Proper preparation is required for successful outcome and injury prevention. Gear For Success: Athlete Wellness Game Plan

Speed Testing and Training for Football

Football Training: Speed Testing and Training Considerations
http://www.slideshare.net 2012-08-11 
Football Speed Considerations Energy systems Testing considerations Periodization Dynamic Warm-up Speed training Sprint techniques Specific-conditioning Presented by Randy Bauer Bauer Physical Therapy Laguna Hills, CA www.bauerpt.com 94 ...
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Ankle Injuries in Soccer: Treatment and Prevention

GamePlan forAthlete Success: Treatment and Prevention of Ankle Injuries in Soccer
http://www.slideshare.net 2011-07-30 23:47:38 UTC
Ankle sprains are common in soccer. Prevention and initial treatment of the ankle sprain will improve return to play and reduce the incidence and re-injury, maximizing performance on the field. www.bauerpt.com
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Return to Play Following an ACL Injury

https://plus.google.com 10/20/2013 14:02
ACL Injury: When Can I Play?

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL) Injury devastates athletes of all ages. From the aspiring young athlete to the seasoned professional. Careers are interrupted and often ended by the ACL injury.

Reducing the risk of injury requires preparing the athlete to meet the sport-specific demands of the activity. Decreasing the exposure to injury is another way to impact the growing number of sports injury, specifically in the young athlete population. 

The development of sport and age-specific training programs must consider neuromuscular and technical training concepts to ensure gradual progression of a comprehensive performance based program. The young athlete must not be trained 'as if ' they are already at the next level.

Read more on Overexposing the Youth Athlete to Injury  http://goo.gl/6Hlf29

Read More on the Mechanism of Injury and Reducing the Risk of ACL Injury in Soccer http://goo.gl/MNpgAF

Read More on Teens and ACL Injury: Reducing the Exposure and Return to Play  http://goo.gl/ZWUilO

#aclinjury #youthsportsinjuries #returntoplay

+Warren Potash +Bradford Lowry +Joe Napolitani +Soccer Talk
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10 Strategies Promoting Physical Recovery for Optimal Athletic Performance

10 Strategies Promoting Physical Recovery for Optimal Athletic Performance

To promote optimal athletic performance, and train at high intensity, the athlete must rely on physical recovery strategies+
. As an athlete you must be prepared to train and perform, day in, day out. To ensure the body can respond to high intensity performance, the athlete must practice physical recovery techniques. This requires discipline, practice and attention to your body. You are not only recovering from practice, or competition, but the daily demand of work, school and home life. These strategies are used as a guide that will allow you to perform at your optimal physical and mental ability. A rested body and mind is essential for the health and well-being of the athlete.

Practice these strategies for optimal athletic performance as you would your technique, training program, or healthy training table.

10 Strategies Promoting Physical Recovery

• Maintain Proper Hydration

• Drink plenty of water before, during and after practice and competition.
• Fluid loss of  > 1% of total body weight can be associated with an elevation in core body temperature during exercise.
• For every pound of fluid lost during practice/game, 24 ounces of fluid is required to restore body hydration.
• Refer to Hydration Guidelines

• Replenish your carbohydrate stores

• Carbohydrates are a primary energy nutrient, and provide fuel for the working body.
• Include 3.5 to 4.5 carbs per pound of body weight (8-10 g/kg of body weight).
• Good sources: raisins, bagel, whole wheat bread, rice, pasta, bananas and dried fruit
• It is important to choose foods that have high nutrient density for health.

• Maintain lean body mass (muscle tissue) by replenishing protein stores

• Exercising muscle must be rebuilt to maintain strength.
• Athletes should consume about 1.5 g/kg body weight.
• Choose lean protein sources: Skim milk, fat free cheese, yogurt from skim, 95% lean ground beef/turkey, white meat tuna, non-fried fish(salmon), beans and peas, soy milk isolates, whey isolate, and protein bars.

• Allow adequate cool-down from training

• Low intensity exercise for 10 minutes after training session, or competition.
• Jog, Stationary bike, brisk walk.

• Stretch after each workout, or competition

• Perform easy mat exercises, or stretching routine.
• Perform stretch routine in morning and/or evening for 10 minutes.
• Interrupt prolonged sessions of sitting while at computer or desk with 3-5 minutes of light stretching.

• Maintain good posture when sitting at desk, computer and home

• Poor sitting posture increases tightness and will cause fatigue of muscles and soft tissue.
• Avoid slumping in a flexed posture when sitting. This increases stress on spinal structures.
• Postural Relief Measures:
• Take short, 2-3 minute stretch breaks after sitting for >45 minutes.
• This allows blood to circulate and changes the loads on joints and soft tissues of the body.

• Take a 10 minute meditation break

Meditative Break

• Relax on the floor with your legs elevated on a foot stool, or just flat on the floor.
• Perform slow breathing. In through the nose and out through the lips.
• The abdomen should rise and fall slowly. 
• Focus your thoughts on your breath.
• References:
• Working Out, Working Within
• Thinking Body, Dancing Mind

• Get adequate sleep

• As an athlete you need your sleep.
• Optimal sleep is considered 8 to 9 hours.
• Too much sleep, or not enough effects your mental capacity, physical recovery, and can be the sign of overtraining.

• Use an ice pack, or a cool body soak

• Cold is beneficial for muscle recovery.
• Cold is also an anti-inflammatory, reducing swelling and the accumulation of lactic acid.
• Walking in a cool pool, or sitting in a cool bath for 10 minutes is good for rejuvenating a fatigued, or sore body. A cool shower can also be used.

 

     

     Ice Bath for Recovery

• Listen to your body

• If aches and pains persist, or you are feeling particularly fatigued, consult a sports medicine professional(medical doctor, athletic trainer or physical therapist).
• Do not let minor injuries become serious, threatening your ability to perform at an optimal level of performance.

Complete this Survey

My GamePlan for Success:Goals Worksheet

These 10 Strategies of Physical Recovery for Optimal Athletic Performance are intended as a guideline. Practicing these strategies will help promote healthy training habits, prevent overtraining and maximize performance goals on the athletic field.



References:

• 105 Premier Resources on Sports Injury Recovery
• (http://www.physicaltherapyaide.org/sports-injury-recovery/)

• Rest and Recovery 
• (http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/RestandRecovery.htm)
• The Art of Athletic Recovery
• (http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/The_art_of_athletic_recovery)

• The Athlete's Guide to Recovery: Rest, Relax, and Restore for Peak Performance